PART THREE: The Ice Bears
by Jackrabbit2011
Summary: Doctor, help me- you said you wouldn't let anything hurt me. He's killing me, Doctor...
1. The Mists 1

**A/N: Hello again… part 3 of my series- now we're gonna meet some giant bears! Oh, the adventures… **

**Summary: I've sung with plants and argued with birds- this time I'm going to the Mist System- home to the giant armoured bears of the Western Galaxy… **

**Four: The Mists**

**Rose **

Ice. I love it- ice, art and fluffy things are my favourite things. Oh, and chocolate. But chocolate is a given; so ice, art and fluffy things are my top three. So for my next adventure, I wanted a bit of all three.

"So you want- frozen water, Leonardo daVinci and… _teddy bears_?" The Doctor repeated slowly. "Well, you'll be pleased to know your place at the funny farm has been booked."

Rose tilted her head at the Doctor's jibes. "What, and yours hasn't?"

"Hey, I own the farm, lady- don't insult me!" He crowed, grinning. "And you have to admit, that's odd, even for _my_ standards."

Rose snorted. "Oh, sure."

The Doctor didn't seem to hear her. "Well, let's be off," He cried as the TRADIS jerked and threw them around. "Frozen Leonardo Teddies await!"

* * *

"Rose, welcome to the Mists." The Doctor announced, throwing open the doors, wincing at the cold air. "Brr, that's a bit…woo!"

"Y-you c-c-can s-say that ag-gain!" Rose managed through her chattering teeth. She hugged her arms closer to her body, crossing them tightly over her thin t-shirt.

"Oh, go and get changed, you melon." The Doctor said absent-mindedly, failing to notice Rose's fierce glare. "Just don't take all day- I know what you females are like- such ditherers!"

"I'll give you dithering." Rose muttered, but it was too hard to stay mad at him, and finally she gave up and smiled- he grinned loopily back.

"There's my non-melon Rose!" He cried with delight and swept her into a choking hug.

"Yes, and non-melon Rose needs to breathe, Doctor!' She huffed at the lack of air. He let her go apologetically. "Now, I'm going to change- or at least put on a coat." He winked.

"There's a lovely blue one in the cupboard that will match your skin complexion and is fitted to compliment your figure."

Rose lifted her eyebrows. "What are you, Gok Wan?"

"Who?"

"Oh, never mind." She smiled and headed back into the warmth of the TARDIS. "See you in a sec."

* * *

The Mists System was like nothing Rose had ever seen- lying in the South of the Western Galaxy; it was a thin white belt hanging in space. It consisted of twenty-seven planets, each with one to eighteen moons in orbit. Or, in Ether's case, none- the biggest planet, Ether Gala, didn't have any moons- instead the other twenty-six were in orbit around it, as substitute.

"So this place is called Mist? Original!" Rose snorted and the Doctor nodded.

"Well, you could call it Fog, or Haze… or Smog, I suppose." He frowned. "Doesn't fit as well though, does it?" he mimed bowing to a guest. "Welcome, sir, to Smog!" He shook his head. "Nope, no custom at Smog." Rose shook her head at him and started walking, leaving him to talking to thin air.

Not that he would mind. The air would probably talk back. Thinly.

The ground underfoot was unexplainable to Rose; it seemed almost insubstantial at times. If she looked directly at it, it was ordinary and solid- but occasionally, on the periphery, she would see the solidness disintegrate and the earth became powderlike, as if the planet itself was made of mist. Like Selena, everywhere was covered in snow and ice- but there were no trees or plants that she could see, only the flat, white and grey plains in every direction, with several dark mountains looming behind her.

The snow was thick and heavy as she trudged through it behind the Doctor, hardly able to see him through the thick fur-lining in her hood- her vision was now permanently blotched with splodges of pure white and silver. She had taken the Doctor's advice and was now wearing the blue coat he had suggested- he had been right, of course; the coat suited her perfectly, and flattered her, which was always nice.

It was quite an eye-catching blue- a strong block colour with a white faux fur lining all through it; the fur also rimmed the hood, which was the cause of her blindness. She had picked out- with, again, the Doctor's wisdom- a set of olive green gloves and matching scarf. Coupled with her yellow-blonde hair, black jeans and striking red shoes, she looked rather like a block painting. But it was an effect she liked, although the clothes were not those she would normally choose.

"No matter, they _are_ for weather, not fashion, Tyler!" the Doctor called from up ahead, making Rose jump- she could never decide whether she was just easy to read, or the Doctor could read her mind when he answered her unsaid thoughts. "Now, come on, there's a blizzard setting in!" Rose made a face at his back, and he stopped and turned back to look at her sternly. "And I saw that."

As ever, the Doctor was right- it began to snow a mere ten minutes before they cleared the top of a snow-covered hill- its existence only evident in the slope of the ground, as it was camouflaged effortlessly with the nearby snow-covered flat land- and a settlement appeared.

"We'll reach it in around five minutes." The Doctor said, pointing at it. He caught Rose's glare. "What?"

"Would it _kill _you to park it a bit nearer?" she hissed, shivering.

"Well, strictly speaking, no- but you never know who you're dealing with, do you?" The Doctor countered. "They might not react nicely to a honking great blue thing whirring away in their town square."

Rose looked at him. "_Honking_?" she repeated.

The Doctor grinned. "Oh yes! Honking's good for the throat- I think. Geese do it- it's good, good, good! You should try it some time." He added a quick, comical honk on the end for effect- it worked, making Rose giggle.

"Maybe later." She sighed, chuckling. "Oh you are a bizarre person, Doctor."

He clucked. "Best way to be!" He cried as he bounded forward, disappearing in a flurry of snow. Rose shook her head at him and followed at a slower, more careful pace.

Precisely four minutes later, and Rose had to stop again. She looked up at the gigantic castle _thing_ in front of her in awe.

"Wow." She murmured, and it really was. It was rather like the ice-castle from Narnia- the entire structure was made of glass or ice, or some other transparent material that shone like crystal. Its turrets were jagged and ripped, as if some colossal hand had snapped of the smooth edges, leaving the splintered end behind. Almost the whole front was occupied with a towering, crystal gate- as Rose watched it, craning her neck and giving herself neck ache to see the very top, it began to lower, as if some unseen force was welcoming them in.

"I think we're expected." The Doctor grinned, stepping backwards nonchalantly as tons of frozen ice slammed into the snow- sending it up in white flurries- mere centimetres from where his feet had been. Rose stared at him blankly, and then shrugged. "Let's go say 'ello, 'ello." He chuckled.

"We're not policemen, Doctor." Rose muttered, and the Doctor shot her a serious but playful look.

"We, um, _could_ be." He argued, and then laughed, giving her an appraising eye. "Nah, you're not serious enough to be PC Plodetta."

* * *

They were welcomed by a young, pale-skinned girl dressed in an inky-blue robe. It was slung casually around her thin frame like a sheet and tied at her middle with a fine silver, tassled belt- to Rose it resembled something much like a Roman toga. The girl looked human at Rose's glance- she was extremely pale- but white, not a milky-pale, with blue-black, shoulder-length hair. Her ice-blue eyes matched the jewelled necklace around her neck. She introduced herself as Caie, Daughter Keeper of the Second Viea Court. Rose noticed, when the girl reached up to adjust her dress, that she had black tattoos running over the skin like water on her hands- the palms had an unfamiliar symbol on them, which intricate tendrils of ink broke away from and curled around her fingers like snake tails. More tendrils travelled up from her wrists, twisting around her arms and stopping at her elbows.

The Doctor smiled warmly at her, but Rose noticed it didn't reach his eyes- there was a strange sort of disturbed pity in them instead. Caie either didn't notice or chose to ignore his expression, and instead turned to Rose.

"You are welcomed, Miss Tyler." Rose felt the Doctor shifted behind her- she flicked a glance at him and saw the warmth and pity had drained out of his expression- instead she saw a flat, cold anger that was quickly smoothed away as Caie turned to him.

"As are you, Gallifreyian."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed and his words were almost spat out at the girl. "Stop it." Caie's face held only childlike innocence, but Rose trusted the Doctor too much to be swayed by the look. She knew he wouldn't dislike such a person on first glance- he must know something she didn't, she thought as she watched Caie locked gazes with the Doctor with an almost predatory glint in her eyes. It flashed up and away before Rose could be certain, though, and after several seconds, the two relaxed and drew away from each other, the Doctor turning to Rose with his usual cheery grin returned. She immediately relaxed her tensed muscles, relieved to see it back on his face- she was instantly on alert if she saw the Doctor's smile gone. With one last, lingering look at Rose, Caie nodded and backed away, melting into the shadows until Rose couldn't see her anymore.

"Who was she, Doctor?" She asked quietly after they had remained in silence for several moments. He paused before answering.

"One of the cult of Gilia." He replied. "A highly religious race bent on converting everything to their cause- they are known throughout the universe for their history. Mass suicides, political statements, strikes and protests you name it, they've done it- they'd be left alone if they were harmless, they'd just be another religion out there, content to believe what they wanted and to shut everyone else out.

"But the Gilia Children are different- they manipulate, hypnotise and blackmail people into following their cult. They use old magic; back from the Dark Times- they're heavy into sacrifices and all that, all for The Greater Power." He said the words as if they left a bad taste on his tongue, and Rose frowned.

"A few sheep now and again can't be too bad though- a lot of religions do that don't they?" Rose asked, and the Doctor shot her a dark look.

"I didn't say they were animal _sacrifices_, Rose." He said quietly, his voice flat. Rose choked back a response- she suddenly felt sick. The Doctor noticed and she felt his arms encircle her shoulders. She clung to him tightly, grateful for the familiar weight and scent.

"It's okay, Rose." She heard him murmur, and she nodded into his shoulders. "You're fine, they won't hurt you."

"But how did they know who we were? Who I was?" She asked, feeling tears threaten to well in her eyes. She tried to swallow the fear that was suffocating her, but a fear tears fell and tracked tear-marks down her cheeks. The Doctor wiped them away and kissed her forehead.

"The inhalation of certain chemicals old magic produces grants them temporary telepathic skills." He explained, still holding her tightly, as if reluctant to let go. "Allows them to slip past ones mental barriers and see the upper layers of mental consciousness, where memory is- didn't affect me, but everybody knows who I am anyway!" His remark made her smile and she drew away from him, laughing quietly. He grinned at her.

"Come on, let's go see some ice-arty teddy bears." The Doctor grinned, pulling her through the frozen corridors. Rose couldn't understand his sentence, but she didn't care- she was just concentrating on not falling over as the Doctor pulled her along.

She was concentrating so carefully, in fact, that she didn't catch the flash of ice-blue eyes from the shadows, or the pale skin that caught the light, the black patterns on it glinting like shark eyes.

**A/N: Ooh, the suspense! Oh well next chapter up in a bit, guys! (And Gals.) As always, of course everything is the DW people's, except the Gilia Children and the Mists System. They're mine so no stealing! **


	2. The Mists 2

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long, people! Thanks to my reviewers- **

**IfEaRnOfIsH: Here you go!! Might make you wait another UNBEARABLE two **

**weeks for the next one... ****or it's on tomorrow! HA, I'm evil... **

**Four: The Mists (2) **

"STOP!"

Rose was jerked to a standstill by the Doctor's abrupt halt- half pulling her arm out of its socket in the progress. "What?" She cried, rubbing her sore shoulder.

"Urgent matter to attend to." He announced, and strode over to the icy wall of the corridor. His images followed, and he leaned forward until he was almost touching the ice. He ran a hand through his hair critically, smoothing edges and fluffing the front up until he was happy. He leaned back to admire to effect.

"Still good, good." He murmured. Fluffing it up a bit more. "There! Perfect! Oh, I do look good Tyler!" he said happily, taking her arm and practically skipping down the corridor again. She shot him a look.

"Do you mean to tell me my arm just got dislocated for you to stop and flick your hair a bit?" She half-shrieked and he shot her a mortified look.

"Flicked? _Flicked?" _He cried, shocked. "How could you say such a thing? I would _neve_r flick my hair, Rose Tyler! Be nice, my hair needs a gentle touch."

Rose was about to reply when a movement behind the Doctor's shoulder caused her to look up. Her eyes met cold, blue-grey ones and she felt every muscle freeze as solidly as the corridor she was in. She couldn't summon words as she felt a building terror threatening to overwhelm her- all she could see where those icy blue eyes and she was drowning in them. Her heat stopped and blood rushed in her eyes, her chest ached and a rhythmic thudding began deep in her head. She only dimly saw the Doctor turn around and face those eyes, but then he turned around again and faced her, worry on his face. She felt him shake her gently, but there wasn't anything she could do- she couldn't run or scream at him; the thing held her too tightly. The Doctor started speaking, but she couldn't hear the words- her ears were clogged with cotton wool, her joints rusted and her voice reduced to a whisper. Faintly, noises filtered through; _…Rose… okay… Rose… only…Bear… _he didn't seem afraid or even bothered about those eyes behind him –she was drowning and he was unaffected. Slowly, her vision expanded, allowing the rest of the thing that held her, helpless in its power. The white fur, the black nose, the teeth, the ears, the four huge paws… it was a bear. A big bear. A _very _big bear! It was easily bigger than the Doctor, and yet he seemed fine, unafraid.

"Rose, this is a bear." He tried again, and she found her voice enough to whisper back.

"I know it's a_ bear_, Doctor." She hissed faintly. He shook his head, smiling.

"No, she's a Bear. Capital letter." A deep rumble echoed from the animal behind him, but it wasn't a warning, it was a hello, Rose realised. She smiled faintly at the creature, and it padded out from behind her friend and touched her cheek with his wet nose. She flinched from the coldness, but tentatively- at an encouraging nod from the Doctor- put her hand on the Bear's soft white fur. It was luxuriously fluffy, and the purest white Rose had ever seen- the Bear rumbled it's appreciation as Rose felt the last of her fear evaporate. She turned to scowl at the grinning Doctor.

"You are _so_ dead for taking _another _decade off my life." She glared, but he only laughed.

"Her name is Sviet de Glirai. It means 'morning rose' in Glyrian." He ventured, grinning when she reluctantly smiled. The Bear made a soft mewing noise that made Rose smile even more. "She's a young Southern-Gala Bear- practically a baby, actually."

"Hello…Sviet." She tried, pronouncing the new word with difficulty. "I'm sorry about my little, um, _panic_ before." The animal only purred with contentment as she continued to trace half circles through the thick fur. "Hey, it's more for me than you- your fur's lovely." Rose whispered as the Bear threatened to roll over with happiness at Rose stroke. She looked over at the Doctor for explanation. He was leaning on the ice-wall, looking rather cool with his hands casually in his pockets, looking for all the world, Rose thought, like some model on his tea break. Talking of tea…

"Any chance of a cuppa?" she asked over Sviet's rumbles. "I'm freezing my ears off here."

"Oh, we can't have that!" The Doctor announced. "Ears are good, ears are important! Ears are for wigging!" and with that bizarre statement hanging in the air, he leapt off the wall and disappeared around the corner ahead, shouting something about tea and ears. Rose shivered, hoping that the Doctor wouldn't try to combine the two- which, she thought, he probably would…

* * *

The scrape of feet across the ice alerted Rose to the newcomer's presence before she saw them, and, remembering Caie from earlier, leapt to her feet, instantly wary. Sviet rose slowly to her feet, groggy from the relaxation- she sniffed, and smelling the strangers, her pupils widened until they almost covered her blue irises, giving her the look of a hunting shark. Rose kept a comforting hand on the Bear's head- which was level with her chest- all the while wishing she knew where the Doctor was. She had no time to call out before the figure of Caie stepped around the corner, her cold eyes locking onto Rose's immediately.

"Oh," She purred, but the sound was more like a cackle to Rose, now she knew what the girl was. "It's the little human, Rose Tyler… we parted on such angry terms last time"-

"Look," Rose interrupted, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "I don't care what you want"- she broke off as shadows appeared on the wall behind Caie, and seconds later, three other, similarly dressed people appeared- they were all dressed in blue dresses like Caie, and each had an identical expression on their faces- cold, detached but morbidly curious, as if she was something they could examine and dissect.

Four against one. Rose swallowed, glad of the warmth of the Bear under her fingers.

"Oh, but I think you should care, Rose." Caie whispered; her voice like a thousand serpents. She paused, her icy eyes piercing Rose's soul. "You are afraid, so very afraid Rose Tyler…"

"Of you? Please?" Rose snorted, but she couldn't help her gaze from flicking constantly between the four of them- it was like a never-ending trail; girl, boy, Caie, boy. Girl, boy, Caie, boy… "It takes a lot to scare me."

Caie laughed cruelly. "Oh, I disagree- you fear so much, Rose, I cannot understand how you do not go insane with the worry- you fear for your mother, Mickey, the Doctor- oh," She smiled coldly. "But it is more than that isn't it? You feel more than _fear _for him, don't you?" Caie continued forward until Rose was forced to back up against a wall- the girl held her there in her evil gaze. Sviet snarled- the sound nothing like the playful noises from before; this was a full predatory growl.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rose tried to spit back, but Caie brushed her anger away like cobwebs.

"Oh, but you do- you can't lie to me, Rose Tyler." She leaned forward until she was murmuring poison in Rose's ear. "I can see _everything_." She whispered coldly, making Rose shiver. "Everything. That is God's gift." Rose laughed harshly.

"God?" She sneered, and with satisfaction, she saw Caie cruel smile falter. "You're using this… cult as your cover, your alibi for _murder_?" the smile had fully disappeared now, and Caie's eyes flared.

"You know _nothing_." She hissed, her voices like snakes. "You are a human, a blemish upon this perfect world and you will be purged." Before Rose could retort, the two male Gilia had pulled her roughly off the wall. Rose barely had time to register what was happening before one of the boys had his pale hands over her mouth, preventing her from screaming; Sviet roared- the noise shattering Rose's eardrums as she struggled against the boy; it was useless, he was too strong for her- and leapt forward, but the remaining two Gilia kept her at bay with vicious-looking whips which drew thin red slashes against Sviet's white coat. The cub whimpered as they bit into her.

_Doctor!_ She screamed, but she couldn't make a sound.

_Doctor, help me! _She pleaded, feeling tears of desperation form as the boy dragged her easily towards a tunnel, hidden behind a panel of ice. The Doctor would never find her if they took her down there, Rose faintly thought as she fought for breath.

The boys hold on her throat was unbreakable, and it was slowly choking her. Making her movements slowly more lethargic as he continued to carry her. Rose couldn't summon the energy to fight any more as the last of her oxygen ran out.

_Doctor, help me-_she tried as black spots appeared on her vision, the hidden tunnel getting closer at every blotch that appeared, until the blackness wasn't blotches anymore, it was solid, only tiny pinpricks of lighting breaking through -

_He's killing me. _


	3. the Mists 3

**Lizzle09, Patricia8, IfEaRnOfIsH **

**Four: The Mists (3)**

Suddenly Rose heard a vicious snarl- louder than Sviet's had been and much more deadly- behind her, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a huge white shape fly over her head and land with a thud, shaking the ice. Her vision was getting more blurred every moment with the lack of oxygen- the Gilia boy still hadn't relinquished his hold- and she only saw a huge white-grey blob in front of her. It roared and pounced on one of the Gilia (Rose faintly felt a rising satisfaction at the sight) and without warning the hold on her disappeared and the floor rushed up to meet her. She felt it as she slammed into it, but she didn't care; she was too busy sucking in air like a fish to worry about bruises. She heard running feet as she lay with her eyes closed on the cold floor, and moments later she felt warm hands on her face.

"Rose? Rose, wake up!" She smiled and sat up, still with her eyes closed. "You took your time getting here," She said and opened her eyes, the face of her Doctor swimming into view.

"Honestly, I can't leave for a _second_, can I?"

She grinned and jumped to her feet. "Am I right in thinking the Gilia people are getting a taste of their own medicine?"

"More like the whole bottle." The Doctor answered, standing up and nodding behind her. She turned and was greeted with the sight of two unconscious Gilia lying sprawled on the floor and Caie being snarled at by two colossal Bears. Rose had thought Sviet was big, but these two were something else; easily the height of a single-story bus, their shiny black noses bigger than the Doctor's hands and their paws effortlessly larger than Rose's head, they were a fearsome pair of animals. Rose felt no fear however; she saw the smaller of the two touch noses gently with Sviet with a maternal glint in their eyes, and she smiled.

"Looks like Sviet's found her mum." She said quietly, and Sviet looked up. With an excited yelp, she bounded over- clearing the thirty feet in two large leaps- and slammed into Rose, knocking her over. The cub, with energy akin to that of a puppy- but ten times larger- licked her face and leapt up again to do the same to the Doctor. He landed next to her and Rose watched, helpless with laughter as he was drenched with Sviet-spit.

"Argh! Geddoff!" he cried, making a face. "Little pest." He grinned at Rose and hauled to her feet. She turned to see the two adult Bears padding slowly towards them with a weariness that only came with age. The smaller one- who she presumed was the female- dipped her head until their eyes were level. She blinked slowly.

"Thank you." Rose said, hoping the Bear could understand the gratitude in her voice. She seemed to, anyway. "Thank you for saving me…" She looked around and, as the Bear blinked again, a name came to her from nowhere. "Suitte." She caught the Doctor's look. "Don't tell me- they can mentally communicate?"

"All animals can, Rose." The Doctor said, and Rose thought he sounded sad. "But they choose not to." She wanted to ask why, but she felt t wasn't the time. She'd ask him later. Suitte purred and touched her nose to Rose's forehead, before turning and padding off, Sviet following. The cub hesitated, turned and bounded back. Rose looked at the cub for a long second, and she could tell Sviet was saying her silent goodbye. _Goodbye, baby. _Rose thought, and the cub nodded ever-so-slightly, before turning and running to her mother without a backward glance. Rose the receding Bears until they disappeared around the corner and then they were alone again. It took her several seconds to realise that she had tears pouring down her face.

"Sorry." She muttered, wiping them away hurriedly, her face burning. The Doctor said nothing, only hugged her quickly and let go again without saying anything. She smiled gratefully, and it was only then that she noticed the larger adult bear was still with her.

"Svule." Rose murmured, and the Doctor nodded. "He's come to give us a ride home." The Doctor explained. "As a goodwill gesture for looking after his daughter." He caught her look. "Sviet was lost- they were looking for her and they found you being attacked, so they helped." The Doctor's tone darkened at the mention of the Gilia. But it passed again when he looked back at her. "So he's going to give us a lift." Rose looked at him questioningly, but the Doctor looked serious. What did he- oh. She groaned. "Oh, it's Kiiri all over again!" She moaned, and the Doctor smiled. "Bears don't fly, Rose."

Rose shot him a withering look.

"Svule will be gentle, so you needn't worry. Come on then." He said, and began to walk down the corridor, leaving Rose to follow.

* * *

"This is why I brought you here," The Doctor explained as they walked through the gigantic ice-hall, the soft pads of Svule and the other Bears almost unnoticed behind them- Rose had seen countless Bears wandering the halls along with them, all as silent and huge as Svule. "It has everything you wanted- ice, fluffy things and artwork." He pointed to the nearest ice-sculpture; it was an intricate model of a bird in flight; Rose marvelled at the obvious skill that had been put into the structure. "The Gala Bears are this System's best artists- they are famous throughout the systems- even touches the Eastern System, far on the other side of the universe." Rose couldn't argue with that- these were the best sculptures she's ever seen.

As they were walking back, the Doctor had changed route slightly and led them into a string of massive halls that glittered and shone- and in each, upon frozen pedestals, sat countless sculptures of ice- all of them so skilled it took Rose's breath away. There were running Bears and dainty mice, birds of prey and villages of snow, battle scenes and penguins and humans and species she didn't know, all of them encased in ice and immortalised.

"But… how do they shape the ice?" Asked Rose, eyeing the huge, clumsy paws of Svule- these huge animals were surely not capable of creating such masterpieces? The Doctor only grinned, and walking up to Svule and sharing a look with him, the Doctor picked one of the massive paws up and gentle squeezed.

Like the retractable claws of a cat, shiny, lethal-looking blades shot out at the Doctor's gentle prodding. Rose jumped back in surprise, but after the initial shock of seeing them, Rose leaned forward curiously. There were three- Rose guessed there were another three on the other paw- that were retractable; they were all of varying sizes, like artist paintbrushes, and there was also one much smaller one that didn't retract, like a thumb. The very inner blade was the smallest and thinnest- for the finer touches, Rose thought with amusement- and the middle one was thicker with a serrated edge. The last and largest outer one was even until about a third of the way from its base, where it dipped in a lethal curve and tapered to a point that was sharper than Rose could have imagined. For hacking, Rose's mind informed her. She shivered at the thought of how much damage these blades could do, and the Doctor shot her a comforting look. "Don't worry- they're such nice, gentle creatures unless provoked. Much more interested in art that fighting." He said reassuringly, and Rose smiled, comforted. "My kinda race!"

With that the Doctor had let the blades sink back into Svule's paw and stood up, proceeding to show her the wonders that a Gala Bear could produce. Rose smiled.

She'd never look at a human ice sculpture appreciatively again.

* * *

"You ready?" The Doctor whispered to her, and she nodded. "Just keep you're arms around me, for God's sake." He laughed and tightened his hold. Rose was shaking, but not from fear- she was tired of being afraid; now she's was going to laugh instead. She was sitting on the back of a huge alien Bear, who would start running over an alien planet in mere seconds, and she wasn't going to worry; she was going to enjoy it!

She laughed and looked over the snow, back at the ice-palace that they had just come from, and she saw two Bears standing in the archway; a smaller one and a larger one side by side. Sviet's lovely face was all Rose could see as she looked back at them, and again she wondered how she had ever been afraid of them- these Bears would_ never_ hurt her. They were the gentlest creatures she knew. Sviet roared, her cry echoing over the mountains, and she rose up onto her hind legs. Suitte did the same as Svule began to pad quickly over the snow, gathering speed. Rose's eyes fell on the object next to Sviet- it was a small ice sculpture; a simple block with curved edges, standing just under a metre tall- on top was a rectangular box that was made of ice tinted with blue. The detail so intricate, even down the tiny "Police Box' written above the miniature doorway. In front of the ice TARDIS were two figures; a dainty one with long hair, and a broader one with a long over-coat swishing behind him, his tiny feet set apart and his miniscule hands tucked into his pockets. Rose felt her heart swell at the gesture, and she smiled at the Bear as she grew ever smaller in the distance. Sviet roared again before dropping back onto her four paws and turning back into the archway, disappearing once more.

The Bear glided over the snow, hardly seeming to touch it at all- at least, that's what it felt like to Rose. He covered the distance in mere minutes; what had taken the Doctor and her forty minutes to walk had taken him less than ten. All too soon, Rose was climbing off his back and onto the powdery, insubstantial ground in front of the real, wooden TARDIS. She smiled faintly in thanks at the Bear, and Svule nodded once, blinked slowly in farewell and bounding back into the snow, disappearing instantly.

She and the Doctor stared after him silently, each lost in their own thoughts.

"The Silent City, some call it." The Doctor said softly; he turned to Rose, a deep sadness in his eyes. "A hundred years ago, there was a war, Rose- a brutal, bloody war that left both sides in tatters. It was between the Western Gala Bears and the Armoured Bears of the Southern System- the Armoured Bears are a race built for war- like the Sontarans, only natural- and they were jealous of the blading mechanisms on the Gala's paws. They wanted the technology; they didn't understand that they were tools for creation, not destruction- and so they went to war. "The battles were short and devastating and left both sides ruined while the rest of the universe looked on. The Western weren't fighters, they were protectors- they had advantages of defence; their Ice Palaces are far harder to breach than a Southern one. The southerners were born to kill; from birth they were taught the ways of war-craft and carried it as a heritage. They didn't have the ability to think like they're enemies because they couldn't understand the Westerns.

"The southerners receded after half their troop's fell- but the damage had already been done." The Doctor sighed and glanced at Rose. "The Gala's are not born fighters- they were horrified at what they had had to do and it destroyed parts of them completely. It was then that the cities of the Gala Bears descended into eternal silence- scarred by their memories of war, not one Gala Bear ever spoke again."

Rose felt the tears, but didn't bother to wipe them away. "That's terrible." She whispered hoarsely, and the Doctor held her close to him.

"You can't change it Rose, so don't get upset." He whispered. And then groaned heavily.

"You can really tell you're getting old when you're all stiff from riding a giant Bear." He murmured, rolling his shoulders back, the joints clicking. "It's time I stopped moving altogether."

Rose tried to imagine him never moving, and she giggled as her mind drew blank- he struggled with motionless for a minute!

The day the Doctor never moved again would be the day the universe imploded, Rose thought as she watched him jump around the TARDIS console, all joint pain forgotten- or just ignored in favour of leaping around a bit.

If it could do such a thing, she thought. Could something collapse if there wasn't anything behind it? Or, maybe there was something beyond the universe- sure, there were countless theories, but really, they just didn't know because no-one had reached an end to the universe... she looked over at the Doctor, thinking hard.

She'd have to ask him about that another time.

**Right, that's the end of Part Three- I'll put up 'Part Four: Flora and Fauna' sometime soon- thanks to nayone who's actually following this!!! **


End file.
